The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has signed a principal agreement with the US company KoBold Metals to kickstart a comprehensive mineral exploration program. The signing, which took place in Kinshasa in the presence of Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi, marks a new chapter in cooperation between the United States and the DRC. This comes at a time when access to African mineral resources—particularly so-called “critical minerals”—has become strategically vital in the geopolitical landscape.
This agreement is part of a broader dynamic initiated under the Trump administration, which fostered a rapprochement between Kinshasa and Washington, partly to promote regional stabilization. Recent US mediation for a peace agreement between the DRC and Rwanda exemplifies this. Central to these diplomatic maneuvers is the interest in the DRC’s exceptionally rich subsoil, especially the Manono lithium deposit, one of the largest in the world. This site has long attracted the attention of KoBold Metals, a company backed by prominent investors like Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates.
The agreement not only foresees the future extraction of lithium but also the launch of a large-scale exploration program by KoBold. This program will leverage cutting-edge technologies to identify new mineral resources of international significance. To accelerate operations, the American company has committed to digitizing the DRC’s geological archive—currently housed at the Royal Museum for Central Africa—and to submit permit applications for exploration on over 1,600 square kilometers of territory by July 31, 2025.
The stated goal is to facilitate the development of “world-class mines” and supply Western markets with essential raw materials needed for the energy and digital transition.
The agreement announced in July therefore represents a significant scaling up of KoBold Metals’ strategy in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It’s no longer limited to just developing the Manono deposit but aims for a vast mapping of the country’s mineral potential. This move consolidates and expands upon what was already initiated two months prior when the American company acquired a stake in the Manono site from AVZ Minerals, announcing a direct investment of over one billion dollars.
